KS formal in Nashville

It was a long, but much needed mini-vacation to Nashville this weekend.

The trip started off pretty smooth after Sean and I got ourselves out the door. We then picked up Dakota and Lauren and we were on our way! On the 3 hour car ride, we found ourselves engaging in some pretty deep and philosophical conversation. Although I'm not sure how it began, the topic moved to religion and our (non) beliefs. I can't even begin to express how important and meaningful it was to me to share my thoughts with someone else and have them not only agree, but expand upon those thoughts. Sean and I don't have a lot of people in our lives that share our post-theistic views, so its nice when we can get some healthy conversation with those who think likewise. In a world dominated by religion, its nice to know there are others who decided to jump off the crazy train.

After arriving at the Opry Land hotel, we set our sights on finding some grub. After much deliberation and preparation we ended up deciding on The Aquarium restaurant in the Opry Mills Mall. I would highly suggest this venue for anyone. Whether you are a couple needing a romantic setting, a family in need of a child friendly atmosphere, or a group of friends who want food and sharks to look at while you eat. You are literally in the middle of a giant aquarium where there are colorful fish and a variety of sea creatures to watch while you wait for and eat your food. The food was great but because of the price, Sean and I both agreed that this would be our Valentines day dinner.

After stuffing ourselves, Lauren, Dakota, Sean and myself decided to try out a place the offered sting ray petting and feeding. I'll admit, I was skeptical at first, but the glow in Sean's eyes like a child on Christmas morning when he saw the sign for the sting rays, just melted my heart. Anyways, fast-forward through me paying $4 (each) to get in and $2 for three pieces of raw shrimp and we're feeding these string rays. But as usual, I was overly skeptical and misjudged the awesomeness that is feeding a sting ray that is in a shallow pool. I had so much fun, and would definitely pay the $6 again and again.

Before returning to the hotel, we had to make a liquor run. I don't remember what Dakota and Sean got exactly, just that I remember thinking that it looked like a bad idea. Lauren and I grab ourselves some fun-sized Mai Tai's and jello shots with some good ol' premixed margarita's. It was a fun night of drinking which included (but was not limited to) walking through the gardens, getting lost, throwing up, running from a big gay bear, tag teaming in and out of the room and unnecessary do-rags ("because douche-bag goes with everything!").

Saturday morning was a slow one, we got up, ate a Cracker Barrel and then proceeded to go shopping. Last year in Nashville Sean and I noticed that there was an oxygen bar, and told ourselves that if we ever had $20 burning a hole in our pockets whilst in Nashville, we would try it. Although my $20 wasn't exactly burning me, we decided to try it nonetheless. It was a unique experience, but not one that I would ever feel the burning desire to do again. We all questioned the authenticity of the scientific jargon they were feeding us but I'll leave it to Sean's blog to further investigate the validity of the science behind the oxygen bar.

Oh yeah, and then there was the actual formal dinner. Unfortunately I accepted Lauren's pre-formal jello shots and I don't remember any specifics of the evening. The food was good (I think), the awards were funny (I think) and somebody was called a big gay bear. All that I really recall was getting extremely antsy and bored. This provoked me to ask Sean if he had "lost" something, and that we should go "look" for it in a dark unoccupied room down the hall. The night ended with some more tag teaming in and out of the room, strolls in the gardens and a soak in the overpopulated hot tub.

The conversations of the car ride home were as equally stimulating (if not more so) than the previous ones from our trip down. We listened to Stephen Hawking's "A Briefer History of Time" an discussed the wonders of our universe. I know I'm a nerd, and I am truly proud of it. We arrived home and picked up our baby girl, Bella. She greeted us with a the other dogs soaked in mud from snow wrestling. We are now settled in at home, ready for a peaceful evening. Whew.